The GlenAllachie – 10 Year Old French Virgin Oak (70cl, 48%)

This is a 10 year old Speyside single malt from The GlenAllachie, taken from Batch 2 of the distillery's Virgin Oak Series. It is bottled at 48%, with natural colour and without chill filtering. The whisky was first matured in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, then spent around 18 months in French oak hogsheads made from Quercus Robur sourced in the Haute-Garonne region. That wood was air dried for 15 months before it was filled. The second maturation is credited with silky tannins, sweet spices and fruit notes. The nose offers orange peel, heather honey and soft spice, with caramel, orchard fruits and mocha. On the palate come heather honey, mocha and brittle toffee alongside grapefruit, cinnamon and earthy tannins, and the finish carries ginger.